1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadcasting receiver.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, information media capable of reception by a broadcasting receiver such as a TV set includes analog broadcasting, BS digital broadcasts, CS digital broadcasting and cable broadcast. In recent years, terrestrial digital broadcasting also is included and the number of channels capable of reception increasingly grows, so that it becomes possible for users to select a favorite channel from a variety of broadcastings and to enjoy a broadcast program of the selected channel.
Further, in a channel in digital broadcastings, for example, a plurality of virtual channels including a main channel and a sub-channel are hierarchically provided corresponding to a physical channel, so that various contents can be sent. The configuration of the virtual channel varies according to the broadcasting time band, and by way of example, FIG. 12 shows the configuration of the virtual channel in a time band (8:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m.) of the physical channel “2”.
As shown in FIG. 12, in the physical channel “2”; at 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the virtual channels “4-1” to “4-4” are broadcasted; at 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., the virtual channel “4-1”; at 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., the virtual channels “4-1” to “4-4”; and at 11:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m., the virtual channels “4-1” to “4-3”. The SD (Standard Definition) programs broadcasted by the channels “4-1” to “4-4” are those of the digital broadcasting; the HD (High Definition) programs broadcasted from the channel “4-1” are those of the digital broadcasting.
Further, there is known a technology of allowing users to allocate a favorite channel frequently viewed from among a number of channels to a ten key on a remote controller of a broadcasting receiver and to switch to a program corresponding to the favorite channel by the operation of depressing the ten key (see, e.g., JP 2004-200866A and 2003-143435A).
Further, there is known a technology of allowing users to more rapidly select a desired channel from among a number of channels in a broadcasting receiver (see, e.g., JP 2003-153102A).
However, the conventional technologies have a problem that when a channel number corresponding to a predetermined program is changed for the purpose of a channel content update in a broadcasting station side, its original channel number disappears, and as a result, it sometimes becomes impossible for the broadcasting receiver side to switch to the predetermined program by the operation of the remote controller.
Specifically, when the virtual channel “4-1” is changed to the channel “6-1” by the channel content update in the broadcasting station side, the physical channel “2” and the virtual channel cannot be made to correspond to each other in the broadcasting receiver side, and as a result, it sometimes becomes impossible for the broadcasting receiver side to switch programs in response to the physical channel “2”.